We all know that, in most cases, haste makes waste slow and steady wins the race, but that doesn't mean that your agency can't benefit from a few quick growth spurts here and there. If your aim is to be consistently growing, a few bumps up in clientele here and there are good things! If you're motivated to grow, developing solid strategies will keep you growing in the long run, but these tips should help put you on the fast track when you need it.
Whether you sell insurance for a niche market or your agency is accessible at all hours, day or night, there is something about you or your business that sets you apart from the rest. What do you do that your competitors do not? Identifying what that is and finding a way to capitalize on it becomes your unique value proposition. This is your opener to a specialized group of prospects and it can pay off big time once you've researched it and know how to market it properly.
There's nothing more cringeworthy than a blatant sales pitch that comes out of nowhere. We've said this time and time again - NO ONE WANTS TO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING SOLD TO. In order to make it past your first few sentences with a prospect, you have to be transparent, authentic and you need to have a clear, genuine interest in helping them. Anything less is a completely turn off and won't get you even a toe in the door. Prospects respond to connection, not stale sales practices.
Nothing infuriates clients more than having to bear witness to or suffer the consequences of hiccups in any of your business processes. Clients want a uniform, standardized experience when they deal with you. They want to know that the wheels on the bus go round and round all the time without the bus having to pull over or stalling out. Make sure you have processes set up to check in with clients regularly, make sure deliverables are sent out on time and call-backs and meetings happen when you've said they would. A well-oiled machine works best, and your clients will be the first to point it out when it doesn't.
Carefully scouting out and building mutually beneficial partner relationships with local businesses isa powerful way to bring in new business you may not have had a shot at otherwise. For instance, you strike up a partnership with a local bakery. What do bakeries and insurance have in common? Well, nothing really, except THE PEOPLE. People who buy cinnamon buns also need insurance. Feature that bakery's donuts and rolls with coffee every Friday morning from 9-10 and offer free quotes to their customers in your office. There are infinite ways to make partnerships and referrals work. You just have to be willing to find out how.
You, like everyone else, are most likely dealing within your comfort zone the vast majority of the time. If you want to get new business from untapped prospects, you've got to go to new places and put yourself in new experiences to find them. Show your face in public at local events. Join the Chamber of Commerce and get involved with whatever they're hosting in your town. When your business and the livelihood of your employees is on the line, the only thing worse than striking out is not swinging in the first place.
When it comes to growing your business, being buttoned up, digging in and getting out there will get you a lot farther than you think, but trying new strategies and being genuine will get you the farthest. Doing whatever makes your client feel good from the get-go will get you a client for life.